Hillary Clinton picks Senator Tim Kaine as VP pick

‘Kaine is a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable’, said the Democratic presidential nominee of her running mate choice.

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has picked Virginia Senator Tim Kaine as her White House running mate for the general elections to be held in the United States in November.

“I’m thrilled to announce my running mate, Tim Kaine, a man who’s devoted his life to fighting for others,” Clinton announced on Twitter on Friday night, days ahead of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.

“Tim Kaine is a relentless optimist who believes no problem is unsolvable if you put in the work to solve it,” she said.

Kaine, 58, is a former Governor of Virginia. He was elected to the US Senate in 2013. He is a member of the Senate India Caucus. He had visited India as part of a Congressional delegation in October 2014.

In an e-mail to her supporter, Clinton said Kaine is a lifelong fighter for progressive causes and one of the most qualified vice presidential candidates in the nation’s history.

“He is a genuinely nice person, but Tim is no one’s punching bag. He will fight tooth and nail for American families, and he’ll be a dogged fighter in our campaign against Donald Trump and Mike Pence,” she said.

The Clinton-Kaine team would now face Republican Party’s presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate Indiana Governor Mike Pence in the November general elections.

“I’ve had the privilege of seeing two presidents and two vice presidents up close. I want a vice president who can be my partner in bringing this country together. I want someone who will be able to give me their best advice, look me in the eye, and tell me they disagree with me when they do,” Clinton said.

“But what matters most is a simple test that’s not so simple to meet: whether the person could step in at a moment’s notice and serve as president. I have no doubt that Tim can do that job,” she said.

Clinton and Kaine are scheduled to make their first public appearance at a rally in Florida.

Kaine, she argued, is a man of relentless optimism who believes no problem is unsolvable if one is willing to put in the work.

“That commitment to delivering results has stayed with him throughout his decades-long career as a public servant. So I could give you a laundry list of things he went on to accomplish -- as mayor of Richmond, governor of Virginia, and in the United States Senate,” she said.

In addition to being a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kaine is a Ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senate Budget Committee and Senate Special Committee on Aging.

Kaine has been an strong advocate of India-US relationship.

“It was an honour to hear Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi’s vision for India before a joint session of Congress in the US Capitol today,” Kaine said in a statement on June 8 after Modi’s address.

“With the strategic importance of the US-India relationship growing every year, I’ve been encouraged by increased cooperation on defence issues between our two countries, including the ongoing discussions regarding aircraft carrier technology,” he said.

“As we continue to foster stability and combat terrorism in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, continued collaboration and expansion of multilateral exercises with our regional partners will be absolutely critical,” Kaine said.

“I also applaud India’s commitment to addressing climate change through the Paris Agreement, in which India committed to using technology innovation to grow its economy while reducing its carbon footprint,” Kaine added.

Virginia, he said, has a strong and vibrant Indian-American community representative of the close personal, business, and educational bonds between the two nations -- the world’s two largest democracies.

“Some members of the Indian-American community in Virginia, many of whom are Sikh, have expressed concerns about issues of religious tolerance and liberty in India.

“I hope that Prime Minister Modi continues efforts to better protect the inalienable rights afforded to all people, just as we fight against expressions of religious intolerance in our own political climate,” Kaine said.

Image: Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine during a campaign rally in Annandale, Virginia. Photograph: Carlos Barria/Reuters